000

"You've done excellently thus far, Blaine. Simply lie low in Cinnabar until Silph Co. and the Master Ball are securely under our control," Giovanni said, leaning back in his chair. Blaine firmly nodded, but didn't seem so eager to hang up.

"Er sir, there is something about our project that I'd like to speak to you about. Something off…."

Giovanni sighed. "I'm a busy man, can this wait?"

"Of course, Giovanni," Blaine said sharply. "Nothing urgent. I bid you farewell."

Blaine's holographic form disappeared, leaving behind the holographic form of a patiently waiting Archer.

"You may speak, was your mission successful?" Giovanni said in an offhand voice, stroking his Persian.

Archer nodded. "More or less, yes. Though there WERE a few hiccups."

Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"We've successfully taken Fuchsia and the Ninja Order betrayal has gone beautifully…but to be frank the Light Stone were able to escape. In fact, we've only confirmed two deaths among their ranks."

Giovanni shrugged, though he looked intrigued. "I expected this. Tell me Archer, were the two casualties notable?"

Archer shook his head. "No sir, the two of them had only recently joined; neither of them were veterans. Though I suppose I should say that one of them was an Oak. The least important of the three."

Giovanni nodded. "Very well then. Where is the new leader of the Ninja clan?"

Archer jerked his head, and a heavily scarred man in a dark outfit bowed low. "I am Saizo, the new clan leader. Though Koga managed to escape, the clan is now under my command. And by extension yours."

"Very well. Archer, I want you and the ninja in Saffron immediately. It is time to finally make our move. Do not be late."

Archer saluted him. "Of course sir! And er…would you like to talk to Sabrina?"

"That would suit me well, yes."

Sabrina walked into the room, bowing. "My lord?"

"Where is Red at this very minute?" Giovanni asked bluntly.

"He and a small group of survivors have escaped my grasp and are on the run. Among them is Blue Oak and a gym leader."

"They escaped completely unscathed?" Giovanni asked in disbelief.

Sabrina smiled cruelly. "Of course not, milord. I killed Red's Nidoking and destroyed his Butterfree's mental state."

Giovanni smiled appreciatively. "That's two of his Pokemon you've killed for me. What is the future you foresee now?"

Sabrina closed her eyes, focusing. "You're attack on Silph will be successful. Red will attempt a reckless attack and will be defeated. The Light Stone will fall with them."

Giovanni nodded slowly. "That's….gratifying to say the least. I'd like you to return immediately Sabrina. After all,"

He grinned evilly. "We have personal matters between us."

Sabrina licked her lips appreciatively. "I can hardly wait."

000

When Lieutenant Surge saw the news report, he spat out his coffee. The reporter was speaking of an attack on Fuchsia, with several confirmed tragedies.

People Surge new.

Swearing loudly, he grabbed his phone, calling a number and pacing the floor. When the other end picked up, he didn't give them a chance to speak.

"Alberta, have you heard the news because shit just hit the fan. I need you to stay put, we need to move very"

Surge snapped his fingers, and Raichu padded over. Surge jerked his head, and Raichu suddenly nodded in realization, his cheeks crackling.

Surge bent over. "There's something I need to tell you Alberta. Our plan….."

Surge suddenly picked up a kitchen knife, throwing it. The Ninja rolled out of the way, weapons slipping out of its sleeves, but Raichu let out a powerful burst of electricity that knocked them out instantly.

Surge quickly kicked the ninja on their side, leaning down and producing a small communicator. With a grunt he stomped, shattering it.

A gym trainer desperately slammed open the door. "Lieutenant! Team Rocket is attacking! They already killed Lawrence!"

Surge swore again, this time under his breath. "It's time for a final stand then, hold them off as long as we can."

Raichu's cheeks crackled with electricity as Surge quickly pulled out a machine gun, loading it calmly before running outside, facing several dozen members of team Rocket.

Proton stood at the front, laughing loudly. "Get them, boys! It's time to make a killing!"

Surge growled, aiming his machine gun as Raichu sprinted forwards. "Today's a good day to die!"

As Team Rocket charged, their Pokemon at their heels, Surge opened fire, mowing down as many as possible before they could get close…..

000

Green sprinted forward, panting heavily. She had been hiding all night by herself, and she had finally found an opening. She just had to get to the trees and she'd be home free..

Pain shot through her ankle, and Green went down immediately, staring at the knife lodged into her heel.

"Shit!" She yelled, grabbing a Poke ball just as a Ninja landed down next to her, two thin swords pressed to her throat. Green dropped the Poke ball quickly, changing tactics.

"Let me go and I'll make it worth your while," Green crooned, despite the blood flooding around her foot.

The ninja let out a muffled snort of laughter, digging the swords into Green's throat. "That's not going to work. You're a light stone, and the amount of money I'll get for your head is worth far more then YOUR flat ass!'

"Flat ass…..?" Green's eyes narrowed. "Oh I am going to KILL-"

A knife suddenly impaled itself in the Ninja's lower stomach, causing him to double over in pain. As he stumbled back, Green rolled away as a man in a green outfit leaped down, another knife slashing through the ninja's throat.

Green whistled lowly. "Or he's gonna kill you. That works too."

The man turned to her, bowing. "I am Kaze of the Koga clan. If you would come with me, a small group of survivors are past that clearing. Several of your order are among them."

Green stumbled to her feet. "Well…I'd be a fool to trust you, but I'm not getting anywhere fast on this foot."

Kaze supported her, and the two hobbled over past the brush. Several Team Rocket members could be seen, but a loud gunshot caught their attention. Kaze on the other hand, simply dove behind a hedge, several Ninja pulling the two of them to safety.

Koga glared, folding his arms. "That was both reckless and foolish, Kaze! You could have given away our location!"

Kaze looked stung. "But master, she was in danger. And…your daughter-"

"Is none of your concern!" Koga looked livid, but took a deep breath, his expression softening as he looked Green over. "I AM happy that you escaped, but we must be less reckless. I trust you understand me, miss Green."

Green clutched her ankle, but shrugged. "Yeah I get it. Don't hate on him for rescuing me though, that took guts."

Koga ignored her statement. "I have a healer who will patch your wounds. And I'm sure you would like to meet our survivors."

"Green!" Guru came running, looking stunned. "You survived the night!"

Green winked. "I'm a tough girl. I lost the others though. I suppose you were the one who caused that distraction?"

"I was," Guru admitted. "But that's why I came back in a hurry. They're suspicious Koga, we need to leave."

Koga nodded. "We are prepared. Will you be alright on that leg, miss?"

Green took a shaky breath. "I'm going to have to be."

Kaze once again supported her, and the survivors slipped off.

"So….." Green grunted. "You mentioned several of the light stone made it? Where are the others?"

"Other than me?" Guru asked rhetorically. "Alexander. Though…Koga where did he go?"

"You tell me," Koga said dryly. "I've been suspicious of him since the beginning."

"I'm right here!" came a growl, and a Charizard flapped down. Alexander slid off its back, brushing himself off. "I've just been doing some scouting. The route to Lavender is heavily guarded. A group as big as ours won't have a chance."

"…We are not going to Lavender Town," Koga said quietly.

"Come again?" Alexander growled.

"You heard me. I told you years ago I would have no part in this war. My sole duty is protecting our way of life," Koga said.

Alexander rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? After what just happened to your city…That betrayal? You better believe you are a part of this now!"

"I did not ask for your thought in the matter, Ketchum…" Koga grounded out. "We are not soldiers that would throw our lives away! We are not the same as the men who now work for Team Rocket! We are protectors, and we WILL preserve our way of life."

Alexander grit his teeth, but Guru waved him off, walking to Koga. "Listen. I can understand your feelings and a want to escape….but there's one question you need to ask yourself."

He took off his fishing cap and stared him right in the eyes. "Who on Earth are you preserving your way of life for?"

Koga looked down, clenching a fist. "I….."

He sighed. "Very well then. I suppose it truly is time to pick a side then. We'll follow you, 'Fishing Guru'."

Alexander grunted. "Good. Now we just need to figure out our next course of action."

"Well…." Guru said to himself. "I suppose now that they aren't tracking us…we can move freely. I can only suggest that we search for other survivors."

"Red in particular," Koga agreed. "Unless my training was wasted on him, he's still alive. He's also-as you all know, a genius."

Alexander smiled. "And I know EXACTLY where he'll be headed."

000

The five survivors slipped through the underground cavern, each of them in some sort of shock. Each of them had similar experiences of trauma, so they managed to continue moving forward in spite of it. None of them spoke, and the tension between them was thicker than the underground heat.

Flint was apparently the least affected by the former events that had transpired, and simply continued forward, kneeling on the Onix that had once belonged to Brock. Ahead of them was Dillan the Dugtrio, who was leading them through the tunnels.

Behind them, Misty looked incredibly twitchy and nervous. She had bitten her lip so roughly that a drop of blood fell down to her chin, but she hadn't noticed. She kept a hand on one of her Poke balls at all times.

Yellow looked simply exhausted, trudging slowly through the tunnel and stumbling every so often. Chuchu walked a bit behind her, a bit wary in case she fell from exhaustion.

Blue was grinning, though it looked more like a grimace as he walked a little ahead of Red. He kept glancing around at the rest of the trainers, as if he was watching out for them. He had taken off his shirt a while ago, and while normally his rippling muscles and toned chest would have girls staring appreciatively at him, both Yellow and Misty were too exhausted and frightened to even notice.

Behind them all was Red, who was walking very slowly and rhythmically. His hat was tipped over his face, blocking his expression. He wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, instead lost in thought, debating strategies to himself. Almost everything he came up with would involve a death of someone in the group, and he secretly watched over the others to determine who would survive.

Ash's body was lit up, as he was using flash to provide light to the group. He and Chuchu were very close, Red mused. Their tails were touching.

It was Flint who broke the silence. "We found the crossroads!" He barked, and could not hide the relief in his tone.

"We….we can take a break now right?" Blue asked, wiping sweat from his brow. "We've been walking for hours."

Flint looked annoyed, but he nodded grudgingly. "Yes. We'll want to keep our strength up for what's to come."

They passed through a narrow opening, leading a large underground room with three branching paths. Flint returned Onix to his Poke ball, before facing all of them.

"I'm sure your all wondering what the hell we're doing underground."

"The thought did cross my mind," Blue muttered.

Red shrugged. "This was a project that Flint and I worked on the past two years in case we needed to move fast. My Dugtrio is a sort of king to the Diglett of Diglett's cave, so we had them create underground passages under Kanto."

"And you didn't tell us?" Misty asked, folding her arms.

Red chuckled, giving Misty a cold smirk. "We lived in a city full of Ninjas. If I had told you, none of us would be alive right now."

Blue shrugged at Misty's sneer. "He has a point."

Red crouched down. "One path leads to Vermilion City. Another is to Lavender Town. The third leads us up too Saffron. There's a decision we all need to make."

"Well going up to Saffron right now is suicide, isn't it?" Misty said. "We should head to Lavender, see who's still around. Alberta's there for sure…"

"Why not attack Saffron?" Blue asked, punching his fist. "They've gotta be spread pretty thin after attacking Fuchsia, so let's end this war right now!"

Misty rolled her eyes. "You're a dolt. We don't stand a chance against them in their home turf, and-"

"We aren't doing either…." Flint mumbled.

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I said we aren't doing either. We're heading back to Vermilion," Flint growled. "The war is over and we lost. We'll meet with Surge and stow away on a boat. We'll train and get stronger. Eventually we'll be able to stand up to Team Rocket, but the Light Stone is finished."

Blue folded his arms. "Are you insane? We can't just leave! My sister AND grandfather are out there, and we'll just be abandoning them! Not to mention Red's father, Green, Fuji, Alberta- "

"They're as good as dead already," Flint said. "If it weren't for these underground tunnels we'd be dead too. As of today we're all that remains of that own group, and as the only veteran left- "

"You can't make that decision for all of us!" Misty exclaimed, and Blue nodded furiously. Yellow said nothing, instead staring between the two of them with tears dripping down her face. Red stayed silent.

"We are NOT giving up on the Light Stone," Blue rumbled. "And I'm DEFINITLEY not going anywhere without finding my family!"

Flint clenched a fist, but Misty threw a suspicious glance at Red. "You've been awfully quiet. You're the strategist here right? Why aren't I hearing any of your objections?"

Red sighed, finally pushing his cap up. He jerked his head to Ash, who gave a swift nod and climbed up his shoulders.

"That's because Flint's right. Vermilion is your best bet for survival, and you can't afford to make unnecessary risks."

Both Misty and Blue glanced at each other, stunned. Yellow simply looked down and Flint gave a grim smile.

"Good man, Red." Flint wiped some of the dirt off his face. "Now that it's settled, we should be getting off- "

"Hell no!" Misty growled. "Red, what is WRONG with you!"

Nothing much, the cold voice in Red's mind said in amusement. Just voices in his head, that's all.

Red ignored it. "Nothing, and in fact I think I'm being pretty clear headed right now. I just found out about the death of my most powerful Pokemon. I don't have much hope for the rest of our group."

"But what if we DID survive! We'd be abandoning them!"

Red's cold gaze bore into Misty. "That's a sentiment you can't afford to worry about."

Misty's hand closed into a fist. "Son of a- "

"Red?" Came Yellow's quiet voice. "Why are you speaking about going to Vermilion like you aren't going?"

Red closed his eyes and paced a bit. "Because I'm not going. I'm going too Saffron by myself, to assassinate Giovanni and end the Team Rocket threat or die trying. You all won't be going."

Ooh, how heroic! You certainly sound like the Hero of the Prophecy, don't you!

"What?" Flint barked. "What the hell do you think you're trying to pull!"

"Yeah, do you have a death wish or something?" Misty asked, completely mystified.

"Of course not. I'm the only one here with enough stealth to pull the assassination off and I'm supposed to be some sort of messiah. I think I'm qualified to make a decision."

"That's not something you can just throw around, asshole!" Misty exclaimed. "I still don't understand why we can't just head too Lavender and- "

"YOU wouldn't," Red muttered, and Misty gaped. She looked like she wanted to hit him, but Blue beat her to it.

Blue punched Red hard in the nose, sending him spinning back as it broke. Ash let out a squeal of shock as he fell off Red's shoulder as Red clutched his nose, simply staring at Blue in shock as he was shoved into a wall. Blue's teeth were clenched and he looked livid.

"Look Red, I've been standing up for your actions for the past two years, but this is too damn far! I get it, you've gone through a lot and I can understand you becoming a cynical asshole! But this is more than that! It's this indifference….acting like you don't give a shit about anyone!"

He glared at Red. "And now you want to throw your life away? Because going out there is suicide by yourself!"

"PIKA!" Ash roared, cheeks sparking, but Red held up a hand to stop him. He glared back at Blue.

"If I have to die then so be it. I accepted the role I was given years ago."

"Oh so you think this is bravery?" Blue asked in mock surprise. "Because this isn't anything close to bravery! You're being a coward!"

"Do tell," Red said, smirking slightly. "How the one who's willing to sacrifice his life for his cause is the coward."

"Because you aren't doing it for a cause, you're doing it so you don't have to face what's been happening to you recently!" Blue snarled, wiping off Red's grin.

"I'm the only one here that knows how to move on," Red growled, looking as though he might lose his composure.

"No, you're the one who's repressing your feelings by becoming this cold monster that dosen't care about anybody! You can't escape what happened, and you can't escape us!" Blue said, before his expression softened. "To be honest…. you're beginning to remind me of what I was like a long time ago. And that's what scares me the most."

He let go, and Red sank to the ground. Blue walked past everyone and threw Ash an apologetic look.

"Sorry, buddy. You shouldn't have had to see that."

As Blue went to a far corner, Flint coughed awkwardly. "Let's decide what to do in the morning I guess. I think we all need a chance to rest."

"Can't argue with that," Misty said. She gave Red a sympathetic look. "Should…I-?"

"I got it," Yellow said softly. "He needs a bit of healing anyways."

Misty gave her a grateful smile. "I'll go set up camp then."

Yellow hesitantly walked over to Red, who's hat was over his eyes. "Can I…. see your nose?"

Red looked up, and his face was covered in blood. His eyes were bloodshot, so his entire face resembled his name. "I...Blue's right. I just….."

"Shh…. don't talk. We're all a little cranky right now."

Red managed a weak smile. "Not you though."

Yellow blushed a little and managed to return the smile. "We just show off negative emotions in different ways." She flinched as she wiped away some of the blood.

"Bad?" Red asked,

"It's….not terrible…." Yellow said awkwardly.

"Bad then."

Yellow sighed, pressing her hand against Red's forward. Red felt the magic spread through his face, and the painful feeling of his throbbing nose pass.

Yellow blushed as she realized she was sitting in Red's lap, but focused on Red. "This might um…. scare you but it shouldn't…. hurt?"

Red raised an eyebrow. "Wait…wha-?"

Yellow jerked Red's nose, cracking it back into place. Red shuddered a little. When he rubbed it, the nose was almost perfectly straight, though still covered in blood.

Red leaned back. "Thanks. You're worth a million of me."

"Stop," Said Yellow, suddenly looking annoyed. "Say that again and I'll break your nose again."

Red chuckled a little. "You bright ray of sunshine."

Yellow sighed. "You better wash that blood off, I'm going to see how my Pokemon are doing."

As she walked off, Red released his own Pokemon. Ash leapt on Red's shoulder and rubbed his cheek against Red's.

The Pokemon all looked somber, even OZZO, who looked as though he was on low power. Lucina fluttered low to the ground, before looking up a little at Red.

"Red, are you…..?"

"I know Sabrina's Alakazam cackled about it, but Tyrone didn't make it out. And we need to move on from that. We knew what we were getting into right? We don't have time to grieve."

Lucina let out a sigh, but nodded. Will and Dillan both looked solemn and Ash had a similar expression to Red. Luca was crying silently and OZZO for once was completely silent.

Red slowly got up, his expression softening. "I'm going to look through our supplies. You guys just relax, all right?"

"Is…. he going to be alright?" Dillan asked awkwardly.

"He should be," Ash said quietly. "He just has a lot on his mind right now."

"Say, dude what happened to the accent?" Dillan asked. "Or those alternate personalities?"

Dillan sighed. "Now is not the time or the place. When my three personalities have a similar drive, we can join together and combine. For now, at least."

Luca sighed. "How did we all end up in this mess?"

Red walked over too Blue and Misty, slipping his bag over his shoulders. Misty had taken Flint's supply bag and had spread some blankets.

"What did you get?" Misty asked, looking a bit awkward.

"Weapons, some food and water. Potions for our Pokemon. Mostly weapons though," Red said, slipping his bow, staff, and quiver of arrows off his back. He rummaged through the bag, putting all of the weapons in a pile, before tossing water bottles to Misty and Blue.

"We'd better stay hydrated while we're down here," Red muttered indifferently.

The two drank down their water rather quickly, Blue looking over all of the weapons.

"Damn dude….I don't even know what some of these even are!"

Red shrugged. "Coming from you, that isn't surprising."

Blue punched him in the shoulder, and Misty looked stunned that the two had already settled their differences. Blue crouched down, tapping a strange looking weapon, a sickle attached to a chain?

"That's a kusarigama," Red said. "It's a complex weapon used to catch enemies off guard. Few know how to counter it."

He picked it up in his hand. "I'll take this, but the rest of the pile is free to take. I have enough weapons tucked away."

Misty was having a fun time looking through all the knives, but Blue picked up the bow and quiver of arrows. "I've used a crossbow before, so….this shouldn't be so hard."

"You'd be surprise at the amount of strength it takes," Red muttered. "The hardest part is pulling back the arrow."

Misty walked over to Flint, tossing him a twisted dagger. Flint chuckled a little, twirling it in his hands as he stroked his Onix's head.

"There's more where that came from. Red's loaded."

Flint leaned back. "I'm sure he is. Listen…..there's something I need to tell you. I've been a bit selfish for wanting to leave."

Misty snorted. "No kidding?"

"Look. I know I can act a little…..abrasive, but I lost my son and I won't lie when I say I'm worried for the rest of my family. I haven't seen my wife and other children in years in fear that Team Rocket would target me, being the veteran I am. I was hoping we could get them to safety along with us…..but I'm beginning to realize that isn't an option."

Misty sighed, patting him on the shoulder. "They'll make it through this. We'll all make it through this, and the best way to survive is by bringing Team Rocket down once and for all."

Flint sighed, and Misty noticed how exhausted he really was. "I hope you're right. I just….I don't know if I can go through another war."

000

When Red woke up, it was to Yellow snuggling up to him. He didn't react, but he didn't want to disturb her. Was she…whispering something?

Wow, the voice said in mock surprise. Isn't this quite the opportunity?

Red did his best to ignore the voice.

About a minute later, Flint's baritone voice cut through Red's thoughts. "We'd better start deciding where we're going."

Misty and Blue both looked exhausted when they got up, their hair tousled and a bit of drool running down Misty's lip. Yellow's eyes slowly opened, staring at Red with incomprehension, before blushing a little.

"I…. Red I- "

"It's fine, Yellow. It was…. nice not to spend a night alone….." Red muttered, looking a little embarrassed.

"I-yeah," Yellow said awkwardly.

Fortunately, only Flint seemed to notice what had happened between the two of them, and he didn't bother to care. Red took his backpack and unzipped it, revealing some Growlithe bars and Cherubi snacks. "Breakfast is served."

The five of them sat in a circle, with Ash sitting and eating his fruit snacks on Red's shoulder. Misty stretched her leg, throwing everyone a deadpanned look.

"So can we all agree that we need to go to Lavender? We know we have friends there for certain, AND that's the safest place in all of Kanto."

"We can't Misty," Red muttered. "Flint and I realized this a few days ago, but Lavender was purposely left uncaptured. They want to coup us all in one place and have us completely surrounded."

"Aye," Flint said. "Oak saw Team Rocket scouts on the perimeter a little before we left. Heading there is too dangerous."

"But then what the hell do we do?" Misty asked in despair. "The only option is-"

"Forward," Red said with a hungry glint in his eye. "Too Saffron."

"Awesome! We're just gonna go there and kick some ass?" Blue asked, punching his open palm.

"Of course not you dolt," Red hissed. "We' need to infiltrate. Team Rocket members have skyrocketed, and even before that their numbers were staggeringly high. Not to mention they have psychics that can mind control!"

Blue whistled. "My bad. Jumped the gun."

Misty coughed. "If we DO go too Saffron, I have friends there. In fact, I learned the place like the back of my hands. If we're stealthy enough, we won't be noticed. But…...where ARE we even going?"

"Use your head," Red said coldly. "Team Rocket attacked Fuchsia for a reason. And I think it's clear that they won't have rivals interfering with their plans. A distraction."

"But why would-?" Misty started, but Red cut her off.

"I don't know. But I'm sure your spies can figure that out."

"In the meantime we'd better get moving," Flint rumbled. "The path through the tunnel is fairly short."

As everyone got ready, Blue gave Yellow a glance.

"You know I've hardly heard you speak. What's your opinion in all of this?"

Yellow blushed a little. "I don't know really. I haven't been at it as long as you guys, so I don't think I'm the most adequate at this."

Red walked over. "Yellow, that isn't true, you know that you're smarter than most of the dumbasses in this group, right?"

Yellow rolled her eyes, and Blue snickered. "Sorry for ruining your nose earlier."

"On the contrary, thanks for knocking some sense into me," Red contradicted. "But enough of that now, we- "

Red's eyes suddenly went wide. "Get down!"

Red shoved Yellow to the ground as Blue leaped to the side. Knives flew over their heads. Misty flinched as one embedded into the earth a mere centimeter away from her hand. Flint was not so lucky and roared in pain as one impaled itself into his shoulder, blood oozing out.

Red rolled to the side, grabbing his bow and quiver of arrows. He pulled the bow back, firing an arrow into the darkness with a twang.

A moment later, the arrow hit a wall, the shaft torn in half by a black tulip.

"Shit…." Blue growled. "Not her again."

Domino sprinted forwards, flanked by two Ninja. Domino had two tulips in her hand, the points elongating into sharp blades, and the Ninja carried short swords. One kicked Blue in the stomach, sending him reeling to the side, as another took on Red, blocking strikes and dodging the kick that came at his face.

With a roar of pain, Flint ripped out the knife and pointed. "Onix!" The Rocky Pokemon appeared out of nowhere, swinging its tail and forcing both Ninja to flip backwards. Misty ran forward, but Domino kicked her in the chest, knocking her on her butt before throwing a tulip at a wall.

"Nice aim!" Blue crowed, throwing a punch that Domino blocked with an open palm.

She smirked. "Thank you." She swept Blue's legs out from under him before tapping a button on her wrist. The tulip she had thrown exploded, knocking back Flint and his Onix and a dazed Misty.

Yellow let out a cry as a Ninja turned on her, somehow dodging his first swing. She quickly reached for a Poke ball but fumbled, and the Ninja shoved her onto the ground. But then Red was in the way, swinging his Bo staff and striking the Ninja hard in the face, before kicking him into a column of dust.

Scooping up Yellow, he sprinted forward, Ash at his side. "Don't try to fight! We need to leave before-"

Running away again? The voice asked mockingly. I didn't know that the prophetic hero was a coward!

Before Red could retort or silence the voice, Ash let out a cry as a Pokeball struck him in the face. He entered it, the ball bouncing off the ground and into Domino's hand, giving them a triumphant grin.

Red stopped in his tracks, Yellow craning over his neck to see what had happened. "She…. CAUGHT Ash?"

"RED we NEED TO LEAVE!" Flint roared, she won't know our path if we hurry!"

Blue and Misty both turned, gesturing him to hurry. For a moment Red looked stunned, completely flabbergasted. Then the voice in his head cackled.

Cat got your tongue eh? Well it's about time! I'm done with this passive nonsense. It's time for a more…. intimate approach. My turn.

Red suddenly shuddered as power that he did not have took over, his eyes briefly changing into a glazed gold. He felt his control ebbing away, a forced grimace on his face as he eyed the three assassins.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Red sprinted forward, a knife whistling past his ear. He kicked one of the Ninja to the side, the other moving past him to get to his friends. Red payed him no mind, swinging his staff and aiming for the hand that held Ash's Poke ball.

Domino stepped back, avoiding the swing and throwing forward a tulip. It hit Red in the lower stomach, but it didn't land in too deep. She quickly leveled another and blocked Red's next strike, the two struggling to overpower the other.

The other two Ninja chased down Misty and Blue, who hadn't been able to call out a Pokemon in time. Misty swung a kick but the Ninja blocked it easily, elbowing her in the stomach and knocking her to the ground. Blue fared better, catching his opponent's arm and jerking it with shocking strength. The Ninja howled in pain as he felt his arm break. Blue threw him down, the injured Ninja clutching his arm pitifully.

The other held a knife to Misty's throat, stopping Flint in his tracks. He growled at the Ninja's cruel gaze, before snapping his finger.

The Onix let out a roar, swinging his tail into the man's side, throwing him into a wall of dirt with a satisfying crack. Misty rolled away, retching and clutching her neck.

"What the hell is Red doing?" Flint said roughly. "We can't stay here any longer or they'll call reinforcements!"

Red wasn't listening, his attention entirely focused on Domino. The assassin smirked as she kept the Poke ball away from him with ease, forcing Red to lunge for it.

Domino aimed several kicks that Red blocked with his staff, twirling it around and striking hard to catch Domino in the chest, knocking her back. Domino grimaced but managed a smirk.

"You know…. the information on you failed to convey your recklessness."

Red grinned evilly. "This isn't reckless at all. I simply know that I can risk bringing you down."

Like hell it isn't reckless! Red spoke in his mind, desperately trying to wrestle control. Domino lunged, and Red was for once too slow to block. He would have been killed right there….

If Yellow hadn't tackled Domino from behind.

Yellow was a petite girl, so she couldn't bowl Domino over. Instead she wrapped her legs around Domino's waist and wrapped an arm around her throat, yanking back with all her might. Domino stumbled back, completely stunned as the surprise finally allowed Red to jerk back control.

Domino kicked Yellow off her, throwing her off her feet. She fell down, hitting the ground in a roll and somehow landing on her feet.

Red started forward, but fast as thought two tulips were sticking out of his abdomen and arm. He fell to his hands and knees and Domino smirked as she turned too Yellow, who's hand had wrapped around a rock.

As she held it in her hands, ready to throw, Domino laughed loudly. "You're out of your league here, little girl. Do you really think-?"

Red suddenly lunged, hurling a knife that Domino barely managed to deflect, and Yellow chucked her rock as hard as she could.

The rock hit the Poke ball in Domino's hand, slamming against the button and bursting out Ash. The Pikachu didn't hesitate, firing a thunderbolt at point blank range as Yellow ran forward to the two of them.

"Now, Onix use rock slide to seal that tunnel" Flint shouted, and the Onix complied, throwing a volley of rocks to block the path.

Yellow tackled Red and Ash, throwing them forwards as Domino fell backwards. The rocks landed between them, missing Red by inches as they tumbled to the ground.

"Shit, Red are you okay?" Misty said, running over. Red let out a grunt of discomfort as he rose to his feet, Ash staring in alarm at his wounds.

Red nodded. "I'll be fine. Her weapons didn't cut in too deep. What about the other two?"

"One is dead," Blue announced over a body. "I broke the other's arm."

The Ninja rose into a sitting position, clutching his arm and apparently too smart to keep fighting.

"Then this'll just take a minute," Red said coldly, striding over and crouching over him.

"Howdy," Red said in contempt. "I have some questions for you, and if you answer me I promise to ease your pain."

The Ninja glared at him. "Why should I? You're just going to kill me anyway."

Red chuckled a little, before leaning forward. "You misunderstand. I'm only going to kill you if you give me the information I want to know."

The Ninja raised an eyebrow. "But…. what?"

Red plunged a dagger into the Ninja's thigh, and he howled in pain. Misty gasped, but Yellow seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Red ripped off the man's mask, revealing a young twenty-year old man with blonde hair and a pained expression. He punched him hard in the face, forcing him to spit out blood.

"Red stop that!" Misty exclaimed, throwing a look over her shoulder. Flint had gone ahead with Onix.

Yellow was tearing up, and Blue simply turned and walked away, apparently resigned to Red's methods. "I can't watch this."

Red whistled lowly as he shoved the Ninja back into the wall. "Ready to talk, asshole?"

The ninja spat at him. "Go fuck yourself."

Red sighed. "Ash, use thunderbolt. Make sure it doesn't kill."

The Pikachu did not hesitate at all, his electricity shocking the man and causing him to violently shake in pain. When it let up, the man did not have the strength to stand.

Red kicked him on his stomach. "I'd speak, because if this keeps up you won't be able to talk, not that it'll matter to me. Not being capable of speech isn't an excuse for me."

Misty sighed, catching up too Blue and refusing to look at the scene playing on behind her. Only Yellow was left, simply watching as tears streamed down her face.

HA! Even when you are in control, you're still more of a monster then I'll ever be, the voice crooned….and Red's expression hardened.

"Again, Ash."

Ash let loose another shock, the man finally letting out aa scream of pain. Red smiled for a moment, then immediately felt sick. Suddenly, Yellow's arms wrapped around his waist.

The action stopped Red in his tracks, and he froze for a moment. Ash turned to him, questioning whether he should shock the man again. Red collapsed, falling on his and knees and letting out a gasp.

"Red…. just breathe, okay?" Yellow said soothingly. Red was practically hyperventilating, and when he looked back at Yellow he had shadows under his eyes.

"Yellow…. I-I'm slipping. Blue was right, and I don't know if I can do this anymore. And I keep hearing these voices in my head, and- "

Yellow put a hand on his face. "Red you're dealing with a lot that you aren't telling anybody else. You need to stop repressing your emotions."

"But still…...Arceus I tortured this guy…. I don't even-"

"But you regret it, right?" Yellow asked quietly. "That's all that's important right now, because we need to move on. And none of us blame you, by the way."

Red sighed. "It sure as hell feels like most of them are."

Yellow shook her head. "But they understand! Look…we just need to go, please. Remember this man wasn't exactly a nice one either."

Red shook his head. "I…. but this doesn't make what I did okay, and w-we can't leave him like this. He-he's dying Yellow."

Yellow gasped. "What are you-?"

Red slowly grabbed a dagger. "I need to put him out of his misery. It's…. it's the least I can do for him, alright?'

He stood over the man, who was breathing raspy breaths. Red's arm shuddered, and he hesitated for a moment….

BANG!

A gunshot jerked the man's head back, blood seeping from the wound. Flint stood outside the path, looking grim. "There, it's done. We need to go. Now."

Red's face was covered in specks of the man's blood. He didn't wipe it off. "He's right Yellow, let's go."

The two followed Flint at a much slower pace, the two still in shock. Yellow slowly slipped her hand in Red's for comfort. Red visibly relaxed.

"Yellow, you realize that I don't deserve you. Not even close."

"Maybe," Yellow said slowly. "But you're all I need anyways."

000